


Not My Son, But He Is My Child

by Angel_made_of_scars



Category: DreamSMP, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Dadza, Domestic Fluff, Family Dynamics, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Good father Phil, Ranboo and Tubbo are only there briefly, Sleepy Bois Inc Angst, Sleepy Bois Inc Fluff, Tommy and Tubbo are very young
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-15 06:29:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29929320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angel_made_of_scars/pseuds/Angel_made_of_scars
Summary: “Why do you walk with a cane if you’re not gonna use it?”“Ever heard of partial use kid?”The boy just stared at him, blinking, calculating, before swinging at his shins. Phil easily bent over and caught his tiny wrist, holding tight when his eyes filled with panic.Or Tommy is a homeless child in the big wide Minecraft world and tries to rob Philza for food, but poorly, and Philza takes care of him.
Relationships: Phil Watson & TommyInnit, Ranboo & Toby Smith | Tubbo & Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson, Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit
Comments: 8
Kudos: 83





	Not My Son, But He Is My Child

**Author's Note:**

> Heyo, I wrote this literally minutes before I found out that in canon Philza actually is NOT Techno or Tubbo’s father! According to a stream quote he said he adopted Tubbo after he fell from a car, which I knew, but it’s not clear whether that’s canon. I thought he adopted Techno and Tommy as well. Nope! Techno is around the same age and they’re just good friends! So that’s not accurate, but bear with me.
> 
> ALSO I’m just getting into the SMP! I’m only up to just after the disc wars, but I have watched the recent prison streams! So if anything is off or out of character, that’s why.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

“Why do you walk with a cane if you’re not gonna use it?”

“Ever heard of partial use kid?”

The boy just stared at him, blinking, calculating, before swinging at his shins. Phil easily bent over and caught his tiny wrist, holding tight when his eyes filled with panic.

“Don’t be afraid. If you’re going to try to fight someone, follow through. You pull back, and try again. But this time I’m gonna stop you. What are you trying to hit me for?”

“Give you a reason to need your stupid cane.”

Philza chuckled and let go of his wrist, standing back up to his full height. His ankles ached, and he finally put the stick to the ground, leaning on it some.

“You already have. I was bent over on these ankles for too long just there. Where are you from? I haven’t seen you round.”

“No where.” He huffed, kicking the dirt. His clothes were covered in dirt, he realized. He had small cuts on his legs, most likely from wandering the berry bushes for something to eat. His red and white shirt were more red and yellow now. His hair was oily and disheveled. It would be fine if he had just been playing hard, running for hours. But something...

“No parents around? Siblings?” Phil spoke up, eyes scanning the area.

“Yeah, I have a brother. He’s around. But I shouldn’t be talking to you about it, because you’re a strange old man.” He growled. He would admit, the kid had guts, but it seemed more bark than bite, due to his injuries. He could see them as he stood there, steadily turning more red and angry, making him fidget from itchiness and the stinging that came from the nettles.

“What’s his name then? I can point you to him.” Phil offered. The boy looked up from his shoes and Philza fanned his wings.

“I can get an aerial look. Just tell you which direction he’s in. I know most everyone in this area.”

“Tubbo.” He offered meekly. Phil’s gave turned sour, then curious, and the boy visibly tended like he was preparing for a fight, his fists balling up.

“Now I know that’s not quite true.” Phil said softly. The boy took a step back, shoving some berries in his mouth from his pocket, before speaking with a full mouth.

“Well I found him, and he’s nice to me, so I claimed him. He’s my brother now. Just tell me where he is.” He fussed. Philza sighed and gave him a pitying smile. Another abandoned spawn in. People outside this meadow were making a habit of it. The trauma of being dropped out of the passing car with no memory had been rough for Tubbo. He had no idea what this boy had gone through.

“What’s your name?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“Just trust me. It’ll help me get you to the right person.” Phil said gently.

“Tommy Innit.” He said quietly, shuffling and swaying with each word. He must be hungry, Phil realized suddenly. What with being so hungry he walked straight through the stinging nettle berry bushes to reach something that would barely sustain him.

“Ok. Tommy then. Mind if I carry you?”

“I guess, go on. I just want to see Tubbo.” Tommy said pathetically, his eyes finally welling up as weariness overtook him. He looked to be Tubbos age too, merely five or six. Philza hoisted him up, putting his basket of bleeding steak around his arm. 

“Do hold this, and don’t panic, don’t flail. You may feel like your falling, but I’ve got you.” Phil said, handing him the walking stick. He gripped it tight in his arms as Philza stretched his wings and took off.

It was a nice day, good conditions. The meadow was warm and the lake was looking nice from above against the now setting sun. The roads far out past the land were quiet, he must have been spawned in the forest. Who knows how long he had been there. No wonder he looked to fight Phil immediately. He must be hungry for anything, the raw meat in his basket must’ve been too tempting. Not only that but sleeping beneath trees while wolves lurked around, hearing them hunting at night. Poor kid. 

Phil was grateful he stuck the landing without his stick. He used to be bad it that, when he first started. After years of practice he could land perfectly ninety nine percent of the time, but the damage to his ankles had been done. If he had tumbled holding Tommy, they both could’ve gotten hurt.

“I was wondering what took so- what is that?” Phil turned, maneuvering the basket off his arm.

“Just take this and smelt it please Techno. Fast as you can, and bring some bread back as well from the farm.”

“Phil. There’s already three of us.” Techno grunted, annoyed. He never liked other people.

“I know. Trust me, I know. But what am I suppose to do, leave him?” Phil almost whispered, looking down at the now trembling, sleeping child. His grip on the stick was still strong, and he motioned to it with his head, Techno sighing before taking it.

“Just there by the door. Thank you.” Philza dipped his head, pushing the wooden door open with his foot. They needed to fix it. Get a proper pressure plate. But with Tubbo always running around, knocking into things inside, he didn’t want him to accidentally step on it during the night hours.

“Dad, did you get me more wool to make-”

“I know. Not today. But I did get you a... roommate.”

“No way, first off. Second, what the fuck?”

“Language.” Phil tried, stepping past him to go to his room. 

“Please find and send Tubbo to me.” He said, pushing the door closed on Wilbur with his foot. Gently he laid the child on his bed, riffling through the chests for the correct bottle.

“Where am I?”

“Easy Tommy. Don’t panic now. Tubbo is on his way. But I need you to drink this before you can see him. It’ll make those legs feel better.”

“Or it could poison me.”

“Now why would I do that? What’ve you got on you, some sweet berries? And what, couple sticks? I promise you, I’m not trying to hurt you Tommy.” Philza reasoned, crouching once more in front of him.

Tommy huffed once more as he swung his legs off the bed and stuck his tongue in the bottle, testing the flavor before downing it. Philza knew from how many timed he’d had to give the rambunctious Tubbo one of these that they were sweet like a candy, and whether it was that, or the stinging and small bleeds vanishing from his skin, Tommy’s face lit up for the first time.

“What’s your name?”

“Philza. You can call me Phil if you like.” He smiled, taking the empty bottle and attaching it to his brewing stand once more.

“Philza? Dad?” Tubbo called, making both of them turn towards the bedroom door creaking open. Tubbos small face lit up in a wide-mouthed gasp, and he ran towards the bed head first.

“Tommy!” He squealed, sand flying everywhere off his hair.

“Ugh- Tubbo! What’ve I told you about head butting the ground?” Philza sighed.

“Well I was going to head-butt the armor stand like you said, but the angle isn’t right. The sand makes my head feel better.” Tubbo smiled.

Five years old and he wouldn’t stop head-butting. Philza would be more worried if he was taking damage, or getting injured otherwise. But all he could speak in his five-year logic was that it “made his head feel better”. He was starting to wonder if Tubbo was a hybrid of some kind. He had read up on them, but never seen one. Gods, first raising a piglin, then a teenage human, then a hybrid? His teenage years were going to be interesting. But now this child had shown up.

“Tubbo, where did you meet Tommy here?”

“Well I was in my sandbox, and I heard a noise. And he came from behind me, from the trees! And the road is back there, but the road is dangerous. So I didn’t know if he was dangerous, so I went inside. Then the next day Wilbur took me down to the lake, and on the way back we passed the woods, and he was there! I saw him in a tree. Then yesterday I played outside with him all day while you were working on the potions, and Techno was in the special portal room, and Wilbur was working on his big jacket project inside.” Tubbo finished, hopping up onto the bed to sit next to Tommy. 

Phil sighed and rubbed his face. He needed to keep a better eye on Tubbo. Wilbur wanted his space, and he had plenty of sharp objects around his room while he showed that damn jacket he was working so hard on. He couldn’t ask Techno to sit and watch him either though, the piglin would eventually get bored and do something a reckless like taking Tubbo with him to the nether for sparring. 

Phil sat down as well, watching Tubbo grab Tommy’s dirty hand and get curious when it trembled. He hopped off the bed and jumped around, pointing to the door.

“Let’s go see the bees! By the flowers! I love the bees. Maybe you’ll like them too! But don’t hit at them or they’ll sting you, and they’ll die.” Tubbo babbled enthusiastically.

“No thanks. I’m- tired. And I have to go home soon.” Tommy mumbled.

“Unless- you want to stay here?” Philza said nonchalantly. Tommy’s eyes snapped up to him.

“Just like that?! No, no no old man.” Tommy said simply. Phil looked away and shook his head. Another Techno then.

“You don’t have to stay... here. I could make you your own room, your own... house. Weird for a kid to have a house. But it could be small, and be somewhere to sleep at night. And you could come and go. Long as you promise to come here if you’re ever critically hurt. You only get so many chances. Deal?”

“Deal.” Tommy said after a moment, nodding. His face opened into a grin finally. He was missing a tooth.

“So we can go see the bees?!” Tubbo chimed in.

“Not right now. I’m very tired.” Tommy said, his smile dropping.

“Well, we were about to eat dinner anyway Tubbo. Isn’t that right? I went out and got us a feast today. Steak and potatoes to bake. Wilbur collected the honey with you today, yeah?”

“Yeah! The bees weren’t so excited about that. He lit the fire and they all went inside to take a nap. That’s what Wilbur said.”

“Good, very good. So we can slice that bread Techno is bringing back any minute, and have honey toast and milk for a treat tonight, sound good?” Philza rattled off, watching in amusement from the corner of his eyes as Tommy’s eyes grew two sizes.

“Can I come? Phil?” Tommy spoke up, his voice quiet for once, tame.

“Yeah! Tommy can have dinner with us! Please dad?”

“Of course. I was hoping he might want to.” Philza said, holding out one hand for Tubbo to grab and one hand to Tommy, waiting patiently as the boys trust went up and he latched on, sliding off the bed.

“Can we have cake too?” Tubbo whined, bouncing around and letting go of Philzas as he walked through the hall. 

“Ah, no that’s for birthdays.”

“Pie then?”

“Holidays.” Phil laughed, leading them both to a dining chair.

“I’ve never had those things.” Tommy said quietly, catching both their attention.

“Ok. New goal. Tomorrow Tommy can help me plant some pumpkins to make a pie. How’s that? I suppose a new guest is a celebration.”

“”Yeah!” Tubbo cheered. Tommy grinned again, and Philza smiled.

* * *

  
Philza sat up in a sweat as he felt a shiver of electricity run through his body. He gasped in the darkness of the cold cabin, sitting up quickly. Before he could even light a torch his door opened, Techno standing there with a quickness in his breath that Philza hadn’t seen in a while.

“You felt it.”

“Yeah.” Techno said quickly, grabbing Phil’s robe from the hanger. He tossed it to Phil, and he put it on as Techno checked his rocket launcher.

“What if it wasn’t-”

“Phil!” A cry ripped out from outside, startling them both. Philzas wings shifted, pushing Techno behind him out of reflex as he opened the door. Outside, in the bitter cold of the snowy night, Ranboo stood holding the shoulders of the smaller boy, Tubbo holding a glowing item in his hands.

“I didn’t think he was actually gone. I thought he’d come back, I thought it must be a mistake. I haven’t looked at this in so long- but it started glowing, it was going wild. Then it started pointing towards the prison. Phil is he back? Was he gone- where was he?!” Tubbo pleaded, speaking too fast for either to answer.

Phil leaned down, hugging Tubbo to his chest for just a moment before pushing him inside their cabin. He clapped his hand down on Ranboo’s shoulder, giving him a stern look. Behind him, Techno grabbed another sword, now holding one in each hand and the launcher strapped to his back.

“Do not let Tubbo leave this house. Do not go out, even to check on Michael. He’s asleep, he’s alright. But whatever has just happened is- new. I don’t want Tubbo, or frankly you, even with your powers, around it. You understand?”

“Yes Phil. Just hurry. I don’t want to... if I start walking off I won’t be able to help it. But I won’t go on purpose.” Ranboo nodded.

“Good boy. Tubbo, listen to me. Do not come after us. Do you understand? Stay with Ranboo. Keep him from walking off. If you see anyone who’s not us... you know where the extra fireworks are.” 

“Ok.” Tubbo croaked after a moment, hugging Ranboo closer to him.

“Techno?” Phil questioned, getting a stern nod and a grunt from him.

“Let’s go.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope that wasn’t too cringe :’) I also added in the head canon I saw on Twitter that Phil doesn’t need his cane that’s seen in fanart and that he uses it solely because he used to get hurt trying to land and now his ankles act up.
> 
> I wanted to write something with wholesome family dynamic, with a twist ending, but also I know Philza isn’t actually the best dad in canon, but sue me I’m projecting on wanting a good father.  
> Much love! <3


End file.
